Namesake

For years, Luke and I have talked about baby names, and the one thing Luke has always been sure of is if we had a little boy, he wanted to name him for our fathers, John and Thomas. One of the happiest days of our lives was calling our fathers a few weeks ago to tell them that we had a little baby boy on the way - and that we were honoring them by naming him after them. Little John Thomas Paiva will be here in a little over 4 months, and we couldn't be happier that he will not only carry such a special name, but that he will get to learn from and look up to these two wonderful men.

Baby Luke in John's arms

Look how much I already love my daddy.

We each love our dads very much, and now love each others dads very much as well. 

Dad admiring Luke's award at his academy graduation.

Me and John on my first motorcycle ride!

Luke hopes that from his dad, John, our little boy will inherit his love for God's creation, unrivaled work ethic, easygoing personality, love of books and learning, common sense, and willingness to try new things.

Toddler Luke in his dad's arms.

Luke and John in Yosemite after college graduation.

From my dad, Thomas, we hope our little boy inherits his patience, kindness, unswerving loyalty and dedication to his family and commitments, self-sacrifice, hard work, a love of sports, and most importantly, a deep love for the Lord. 

Me and Daddy at Christmas.

Dad about to save me from Cass pulling my hair.

If baby Jack can take all of the very best of our dads, he will grown into an extraordinary man. We feel so very blessed that he will know both of them, and because of our love and respect of these two men, their presence in our son's life from the beginning is something that is very important to us. That is why we are so excited that both of our dads are going to get to be here shortly after baby Jack arrives. 

Luke's dad is flying in to meet the baby over Presidents' Weekend, and my dad will be able to drive down, so we are going to baptize John Thomas then. At our church, baptism is such a special time where the father names his child and speaks a blessing over him, so we are extra thankful to be able to have it at a time when both of our fathers can be there! Baby Jack, you are in for a treat!